Respect Your Audience

Always respect the dignity of others and engage in civil and thoughtful discourse of opposing ideas.

Post meaningful, respectful comments – don’t spam or make remarks that are off-topic or offensive.

If you ever feel angry or impassioned about a subject, refrain from posting until you are calm and level-headed.

Always give people proper credit for their work and make sure you have the right to use something with attribution before you publish.

Be a valued member.

If you join a social network like a Facebook group or comment on someone’s blog, make sure you are contributing valuable insights. Self-promoting behavior is viewed negatively and can lead to you being banned from websites or groups.

Consider your audiences.

Social media often span traditional boundaries between professional and personal relationships. Use privacy settings to restrict personal information on otherwise public sites. Choose profile photos and avatars carefully. Be thoughtful about the type of photos you upload.

Think before you post.

There’s no such thing as a “private” social media site. Search engines can turn up posts years after the publication date. Comments can be forwarded or copied. Archival systems save information even if you delete a post.